A subsidiary of Fresh Del Monte Produce In (NYSE: FDP) has acquired around 2,620 acres of agricultural land northwest of Palm Beach, Florida, in a bid to expand its tomato and vegetable program.

In a release, Del Monte Fresh Produce's VP of North America operations Paul Rice highlighted the land would help the company provide a year-round supply of tomatoes.

"The land on the east side of Lake Okeechobee is ideally located and has an ample water supply which is excellent for the cultivation of tomatoes and other crops," Rice said in a release.

"This acquisition is an excellent opportunity for us to fill in the winter gap in our local field grown tomato program and we are now confident that we can offer our customers a continuous field grown tomato program year round.

"This land also allows us to expand our tomato and vegetable product offerings, by adding a range of other crops such as cucumbers, bell peppers, watermelons and squash."

The move builds on an acquisition of 7,200 of agricultural land in Florida and Virginia last year. Rice emphasized that while these expansions were intended to expand Del Monte's vegetable and melon offerings, it planned to continue working with its third party growers.

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